Showing posts with label .22 magnum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label .22 magnum. Show all posts

Friday, January 10, 2020

The Ruger 57

Eight years ago, I joked about Ruger introducing a .22 magnum auto-loading pistol. I even spoke to a Ruger employee at an NRA convention about the idea, who poo-pooed it.

In that piece, I wrote this:
So, why not a new .22 Magnum auto-loader, with a few 'improvements' on the KT PMR-30.- - -Maybe a magazine safety (yuk), and a striker fired system; and lets go whole hog and add a .22 Long Rifle conversion kit in the box. All for a MSRP of $499. This would be a real poor man's Five-seveN.
Well, Ruger went one better and produced their own Ruger 57, at a much
Ruger 57 from Ruger website
reduced MSRP (vs FN - $1435) of $799.

With this pistol in production, and with hopes that more ammo manufacturers will get on board and drive ammo prices down to a reasonable level, this just may be a big success.

Power with reduced recoil in a full-size yet lightweight package. Hmmm...

What do you think?

Monday, January 10, 2011

Small pistols and revolvers - constant companions

In a recent post on handgun stopping power, I mentioned that the first order of business is to be armed. In that post, I mentioned the NAA mini-revolvers. These are about as small as one can go with a firearm. NAA has a new player in Beta test right now, that they call the Ranger Breaktop. This iteration of the mini-revolver adds the break top action of the Smith and Wesson Schofield to their .22 Magnum model. I wish I had thought of that. . . . Actually, I did. 

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Ruger to introduce new .22 Magnum pistol?

Not that I know of,  but Ruger has apparently cloned another Kel-Tec, the PF-9.

First it was the LCP which took the KT P3AT configuration, and added a slide stop. The rest, as they say, is history. LCP sales have been very successful.

Then, the Glock OS with the addition of a manual safety gives us the SR-9, which is, in my opinion, a sweet gun.

Now, with much fanfare, comes the Ruger LC9. To me, it appears to model the PF-9, with the addition of a manual safety. Michael Bane's video review is HERE.

So, why not a new .22 Magnum auto-loader, with a few 'improvements' on the KT PMR-30.
- - -Maybe a magazine safety (yuk), and a striker fired system; and lets go whole hog and add a .22 Long Rifle conversion kit in the box. All for a MSRP of $499. This would be a real poor man's Five-seveN.

Seriously, I think LC9's will sell like hotcakes for Ruger. Recoil will be snappier than the SR-9's, but certainly softer than the LCP's. 

Now, to see who's packing some real big heat check out MJM.

UPDATE JANUARY 2013. If you like the idea, contact Ruger Customer Service and let them know.

UPDATE APRIL 2015. Ruger tells me that to have soft enough brass for reliable ignition, there is too much danger of a blown case. Consider the .22 TCM 9R.



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Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Handgun stopping power

Handgun stopping power is a subject that has been discussed, argued, and debated for many years. We are not talking about killing power, which is not the issue in mortal  defensive combat. A .22 Short through the biceps that misses major blood vessels, but has dirty lint on it may eventually kill, but chances are it will not stop a fight.

For defensive combat purposes, the first order of business is to be armed. Whether a .22 Short or a .45 Auto, if the handgun is in a safe back home, it is useless. I think very small handguns, such as the NAA mini-revolvers, deserve a place in the defensive battery, simply because of their small size. They are only .22 caliber, but can truly go discreetly anywhere that it is legal to carry a handgun. And, most people don't really want to be shot with any caliber of gun (psychological).

Stopping power can be divided into two major categories, psychological, and physiological.

Psychological
If a person is shot and thinks he is done for, he probably is, even though most handgun shootings are not fatal. On the other hand, soldiers, police officers, criminals, and determined armed citizens have sustained serious wounds and still prevailed. A person's mindset* can make a tremendous difference in the outcome of a lethal encounter.

Physiological
The physiological effects can be divided into two sub-categories, major blood loss and trauma/shock due to organ/tissue damage, and central nervous system (cns) shutdown due to a spine or brain hit.

  • Organ/tissue damage is analogous to shooting a radiator hose in a car. The engine will eventually overheat due to coolant loss and the car will stop. Likewise, as blood drains due to tissue damage, the blood supply to the brain eventually ceases, and the cns shuts down. This may take seconds or minutes, during which time an assailant can still cause significant bodily injury or death.  With an abdominal shot, the time frame may be extended to hours or days, and barring treatment, infection may eventually cause death. The upper chest center is generally recognized as the best target area, because of the organs there. There is also the possibility of hitting the spine, which should instantly incapacitate (cns hit).
  • Another target area is the left or right pelvic area. This has the advantage of possibly breaking the pelvic girdle, limiting mobility (the assailant falls down), and possibly rupturing the femoral artery (blood loss).
  • The third target area is the head. This is analogous to shooting the car's distributor or computer, which means the engine stops now. A good head shot, likewise, should cause instant incapacitation and probably death. This instantly shuts down the cns, but is the most difficult target to hit. Some law enforcement agencies teach two shots quickly to the chest, assess, and one carefully aimed to the head, (the Mozambique Drill). Even a .22 Long Rifle (LR) to the cerebellum should cause instant incapacitation and death. Thus excellent stopping power, if delivered to the cerebellum. [I had the personal experience of delivering a .22 LR to the cerebellum of a bull elk years ago. He had taken several shots from a .30-06 to the chest, and was down, but not out. He would have died soon, but, to help him along and prevent unnecessary suffering, I pulled my .22 Ruger pistol and administered the coup de grace.
There is no guaranteed one shot stop. Therefore, shot placement is very important, calling for lots of practice. I have recently gone to the 9mm because the stopping power of the 9mm with modern hollow point ammo approaches that of the .45 Auto, and the nine offers much larger capacity in similar sized handguns. If I have to shoot, I will shoot until the threat is stopped.

*See Cooper's Color Codes. If one is not caught in White, one can more likely respond quickly to an attack, mount a counterattack, and defeat his assailant.

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If you find this article to be informative or interesting, please share the link with your friends. Feel free to share the entire article, including this link back: http://goodhillpress.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------

Shop Brownells.com!
Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.